CAPTCHA aka Word Verification

CAPTCHA aka "completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart" is awesome. It helps people (rather website owners) filter out real, lame and unsuspicious users from automated bots. The concept is very simple. They display a word, obscure it with putting some graphic effects, adding lines, dots etc. and then display it at the authentication point on a website. They assume that machines a.k.a. bots won't be able to read it and a human would be able to. To authnticate yourself, you need to read and decipher whats on it and enter your credentials.

I would agree to disagree here. Its ok that you skem the thing so bad that a machine can not read it but sometimes (more often than not), its obscured so bad that I have hard times reading it. I have to refresh the page 5-6 times to get a comprehensible image and proceed. May be I am a machine, may be I am a bot and may be its about time I got my eyesight checked?

There are arguments both in the favour and against the technology and since I hate CAPTCHA, I would tend to favour the ones against it ;)

A detailed discription can be found on Captcha and Wikipedia.

Mario and Nintendo Amusement Park

Ever since I bought a controller for my laptop, I have been hooked onto old NES games ... Mario and Contra to name a few.

Further I think I am a Google stud and can search for anything ... I was searching for Mario vids and came across this page on Wikipedia. Needless to say vids were forgotten and werent thought about again for some time.

I also came across Nintendo Amusement Park. This is a place where students from ITP created "a real life obstacle course which a player jumps through using a power assist harness" based on the popular Mario series. They call this "Physically Augmented Reality". I wish I was in NY :( I want to try this so dearly ...

I posted about Ben Mario Piano long time back and it has helped me get a few hits... Here is a reference to it yet again.

:(

This article makes me sick ! There are people in dire need of help and few "doctors" are striking against something that is not relevant.

I hope some of them are reading this .. !

Things I Live By !

These are the things I plan to live by ...

1. If we have agreed on a time and you fail to turn up, I will leave.
2. When I call you, if you do not pick up in four rings, I will drop the call.
3. I will wear what I feel like. Do not push me for wearning anything other than shorts if I am not in office.

200*

Thursday, May 25, 2006

200 Not Out !

Sunday, January 18, 2004

Ok, Finally a BLOG.

I have been thinking about it since quite some time now when one fine day Aakash's BLOG became popular.

Will try to post stuff and see what else can you use the BLOGs for except for getting famous ;)

Aye Saala ... !!!

Movie: Rang De Basanti
Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi
Singer: Naresh Iyer and AR Rehman

Aye Saala...
Abhi Abhi, Huaa Yaqeen,
Ki Aag Hai, Mujh Mein Kahi
Hui Subaah, Main Chal Gaya
Suraj Ko Main, Nigal Gaya
Ruu-Ba-Ruu Roshni
Heyy - 2

Jo Gumshuda, Sa Khwaab Tha
Voh Mil Gaya, Voh Khil Gaya
Woh Loha Tha, Pighal Gaya
Kichhaa Kichhaa, Machal Gaya
Sitaar Mein, Badal Gaya
Ruu-Ba-Ruu Roshni Heyy - 2

(Dhuaan Chhataa Khula Gagan Mera
Nayi Dagar Naya Safar Mera
Jo Ban Sake Tu Hamsafar Mera
Nazar Mila Zara) - 2

Aandhiyon Se Jaghad Rahi Hai Lau Meri
Ab Mashaalon Si Bhad Rahi Hai Lau Meri
Naamo Nishaan, Rahe Na Rahe
Ye Kaaravaan, Rahe Na Rahe
Ujaale Mein, Pee Gaya
Roshan Huaa, Jee Gaya
Kyon Sehte Rahe
Ruu-Ba-Ruu Roshni
Heyy - 2

Dhuaan Chhataa Khula Gagan Mera
Nayi Dagar Naya Safar Mera
Jo Ban Sake Tu Hamsafar Mera
Nazar Mila Zara
Ruu-Ba-Ruu Roshni - 2
Heyy

Aye Saala - 4

Bridging the Gaps !

Bridging the Gaps !
2006 May: En Route to Yanker Pass, Himachal Pradesh

There were umpteen number of similar bridges connecting places, people and lives. A lesson to be learnt? May be !

More interesting and random clicks can be found at 04p050. (Advertising ;0)

Bridging the Gaps !

Bridging the Gaps !
2006 May: En Route to Yanker Pass, Himachal Pradesh

There were umpteen number of similar bridges connecting places, people and lives. A lesson to be learnt? May be !

The Sunlight !

The Sun trying to peep through the Clouds
2006 May: Yanker Pass, Himachal Pradesh

Reservation and Strikes

Yes you want to protest, you want to make yourself heard, there are million other ways to do it. A bandh is certainly not the way to go. If everyone who thought that he is being exploited came on the roads and summoned a bandh, there would be bandhs 24 x 7, 12 months a year.

I know doctors study real hard and have a lot of brains but apart from making themselves heard and getting the media attention what are the things that we stand to loose?

1. Disruption of normal life. It might just be another day for striking medicos but for some it might be a matter of life and death. Someone could be on the way to his interview and he can not reach there. Why? Because some doctors are protesting.

2. Loss of Public Money. There are some people who would pay taxes. The money that comes from taxes is used for making doctors, paying policemen, erecting infrastructure. When a certain group of people decides to strike, they are wasting important resources.

3. Students themselves. I know they are the best brains in the country and can do no wrong but what about the time that they have wasted on all this hoopla? I think it would be the 13th day tomorrow. We are talking about 13 days of missing classes, 13 days of utter disrespect, 13 days of neglect towards the patients and 13 days of shame.

Ofcourse there are more things to say but maybe later...

P.S.: Before some doctor decides to burn my effigy and gimme some kinda erratic medicine, here is the disclaimer in bold. I am against resevation based on social grounds.